I'll Always Protect You
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: Ever since Katara was born, Sokka promised to always protect her. But can he live up to that promise? And where did Sokka come up with Katara's nickname?


DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the characters from Avatar. They belong to Nickelodeon. I do however own the nickname Sokka uses for Katara. If anyone else wants to use it, please ask me first.

May the light of God shine upon everyone and keep them safe as well as the power of water be with everyone always.

Lauren

A/N: I wanted to write this story to show Sokka's more loving side towards his little sister. I also wanted to show everyone where the nickname I came up with for Sokka to use for Katara came from.

I hope everyone likes it. This is a prequel to another story coming.

"I'll Always Protect You"

Sokka sighed as he tried to sleep. He could hear his mother singing in the other room and knew she was singing to Katara. His baby sister was barely a year old and she was already taking up all of his mother's attention. The attention Kylie used to give to Sokka and only Sokka.

As Sokka lay there, listening to his mother singing Katara to sleep, he sighed.

_She used to do that for me. _He thought, bitterly. He didn't hate Katara, but he was a little jealous of the attention she was getting from his-their Mom. He would have to get used to calling her "their" Mom instead of his Mom. That was going to be weird for him to do. But as Sokka fell asleep, he promised himself he would make an effort to get used to sharing his family with Katara. She was his little sister after all. He just hoped that their mother would still love him and find time to spend with him. He also hoped that his father would still have time for him as well. He didn't have to worry about their grandmother, Gran Gran. She had enough love for everyone. This fact Sokka knew well and he was glad of it.

As the months went by, Sokka started becoming more aware of Katara's cries and what they meant. He didn't know it at the time, due to only being three years old, but that awareness soon grew into love. He would feed Katara when their mother wasn't able to and he would also sit up with her when bad snow storms would hit. He would even rock her when she couldn't' fall asleep. He and Katara were forming a close bond that would last for many years.

Sometimes, when Katara would get in a grumpy mood and not be able to tell her mother what she wanted when she reached two years old, Sokka knew right away and could usually calm Katara down. He could also get her to giggle when she was upset about something like getting a check up by the local mid wife or just not wanting to take her nap.

Kylie was proud of Sokka for how well he was helping with Katara and she knew he would protect her if there ever came a day that she could not. Little did she know how soon that day would come…

Three years later…

"Come on, Katara, keep up!" Sokka shouted as he raced around the side of their house, trying to outrun his friend, Tyoe's touch. The three were playing tag and Katara was doing her best to keep up, but she was having a little trouble. Since she was younger than Sokka, she wasn't as fast and would often slow Sokka down when they were playing games.

"I'm sorry!" Katara shouted, giving Sokka a look.

"It's okay, sis. Just come on before-" Sokka was interrupted as Tyoe tagged him.

"Got you!" He shouted. "You're it!"

Sokka laughed and ran after his friend. He tagged him, making Tyoe it again.

As Tyoe ran after Sokka, he bumped into Kattara, knocking her down.

Sokka stopped in mid run when he heard his baby sister let out a cry and ran to see what was wrong.

"Why are you stopping?" Tyoe complained. "Come on! Let's play some more! You're it, member?"

"Hold on one second," Sokka told him. "I think something's wrong with Katara." He rushed to his little sister's side and saw her clutching her right knee. It looked like it was cut. "Katara? Katara, what happened?" Sokka's brotherly instincts took over immediately and he put an arm around Katara, letting her know he was there. "Katara, it's okay. What's wrong?"

"Tyoe pushed me!" Katara whimpered, burying her face in Sokka's shoulder. "he pushed me down and I hurted my knee! Sokka, it hurts weally bad!"

"Shh, shh, Katara, it's okay. Let's go see if Mommy can make it better, okay?"

Katara nodded and let Sokka take her hand and lead her back to the house.

When they got there, Sokka told his mother what had happened and Kylie picked Katara up.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, my precious angel. Mommy's going to make it better, okay?"

Katara nodded. She knew her mother could make anything better.

As they left for the bathroom, Katara turned back to Sokka and gave him a hopeful look.

"Sokka, stay wiff me, please?" Katara asked, hopefully.

Sokka was torn. He wanted to go and play, but he also wanted to stay with Katara. His brotherly instincts took over once again and he obeyed his heart.

"Okay." He said. "I'll stay with you."

Kylie smiled at her son approvingly and led the way to the bathroom.

When they got there, Kylie set Katara down upon a chair and got out some stuff to bandage her knee and clean it. When Katara saw the medicine, she turned her face away and wrapped her arms around Sokka's neck.

"Katara, it's okay," Kylie soothed, putting her hand on Katara's shoulder. "Honey, I promise, it's going to feel better soon."

Katara shook her head and buried her face in Sokka's shoulder.

As the medicine made contact with Katara's injured knee, she let out a wail that broke both Kylie and Sokka's hearts.

Sokka started rubbing Katara's back gently, hoping to calm her down.

"SHh, shh, it's okay, Katara. It's okay. It's all right, sis. It's okay. It's okay, Tara. It's okay."

Katara seemed to calm down the moment Sokka called her 'Tara. Her breathing went back to normal and she wasn't crying as hard.

"All right, that's my girl," Kylie said, patting Katara's shoulder. "That's my brave girl. You're almost done, sweetie. I promise. Just one more spray."

As Katara felt the medicine hit her knee for the second time, she let out another sob and clung to Sokka for all it was worth.

Sokka just kept rubbing her back and stroking her hair gently, hoping it would help her to not be so scared.

"Tara, it's okay. It's all right, Katara. It's okay. Mommy's almost done."

Katara nodded and started to calm down when Sokka used that shortened version of her name again.

"There you go," Kylie said, patting Katara's shoulder. "You're all done. Such a brave girl. Aw, come here, sweetheart." She took Katara into her arms and gave her a hug. She then kissed her cheek and hugged her close. "Now, why don't you get ready for lunch, okay?"

Sokka nodded and waited for Katara to be put down before he led her out of the room.

"Come on, Tara. I'll bet Gran Gran made your favorite." Sokka said, knowing that Katara would smile at this.

"Peanut butter and jelly!" Katara said, her smile filling her face.

Sokka nodded.

"Sokka?" Katara said as they reached the kitchen.

"Yeah, Tara?" Sokka asked, unaware that he had now called Katara 'Tara, four times since the whole knee incident. He was also unaware of the fact that it was growing on her.

"I like when you calleded me Tara." She said, giving Sokka a smile.

"You do?" Sokka asked, surprised that he had actually come up with a name that Katara liked.

Katara nodded as she sat down at her usual spot for lunch.

"I likeded it a lot," she said, honestly.

Sokka smiled and patted Katara's shoulder.

"Can you use it all the time?" Katara asked, looking at Sokka with wide eyes. "Please?"

"I'll try," Sokka told her. "How about when you're sad or feeling yucky. You know, to make you smile? How's that?"

"Yay!" Katara cheered, making Sokka laugh.

"Okay."

Just then, Kylie came into the room and sat down next to her children.

"Mommy, guessedd what!" Katara told her mother, excitedly. "Guessedd what!"

"What's that, my precious angel? What! What!" Kylie asked, mimicking Katara's excitement. She loved seeing both of her children happy.

"Sokka's gonna call me Tara all the time!"

Sokka almost contradicted his sister's statement, but he didn't have the heart to ruin her happiness.

"He is, huh?" Kylie said, smiling at her children, but more at Sokka for his kindness towards his little sister. "That's a cute nickname. Where'd you come up with it?" She asked, turning to Sokka.

Sokka shrugged.

"I don't know. I just said it a while ago and Katara liked it a lot."

Kylie nodded.

"Mommy, what's a nickname?" Katara asked.

"Well, it's a special name that someone who loves you gives you. Like I call you my precious angel and I call Sokka my little warrior."

Katara nodded. She seemed to grasp the concept easily.

"And Sokka calls me 'Tara?" She asked, hoping she was right.

"That's right, Tara." Sokka said, smiling at his little sister. With that, the two water tribe siblings and their mother sat down for lunch.

Five years later….

Sokka lay in bed, not being able to sleep. He was thinking of what had happened two weeks ago. It was hard to imagine that just two short weeks ago, their mother was with them and now he and Katara had lost her forever.

As Sokka rolled over, he heard his bedroom door creak open and before he knew it, Katara had crawled in bed with him. This had become a nightly routine after the raid on their village, so Sokka was used to it bye now. He needed the closeness and comfort as much as Katara did.

"Katara?" Sokka asked, putting his hand on his sister's shoulder. As he brought her close, he felt her shaking and heard the sob escape her lips. "Tara, shh, it's okay. It's okay. What happened?"

"Nightmare!" Katara sobbed out. She let out another sob before whimpering into Sokka's shoulder. "I miss Mommy!"

Sokka had to fight back tears of his own. He too missed their mother a lot. He knew she and Katara had been closer, but he missed her as well.

"I know you do, Tara. I know. I miss her too." He hugged Katara close and gave her a kiss on her cheek. He then started stroking her hair in an effort to help her fall back to sleep. "Shh, shh, it's okay, Tara. It's okay. I'm right here. I have you. Just try and sleep, okay?"

Katara nodded, but she was still crying.

"Sokka?" She asked, her voice tearful. "Can you stroke my cheek like Mommy did?"

Sokka began to do the calming motion that his mother often did for Katara when she was either sick or really upset. He repeated the stroking of Katara's cheek until she started to calm down, which didn't take long.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Tara. It's all right. That's it. Close your eyes and try and sleep. I'm right here."

In a matter of an hour, Katara was sleeping soundly, her head on Sokka's chest.

"I love you, Tara." Sokka said, giving Katara a kiss and her shoulder a gentle pat. "I love you and I'll always protect you. I promise." Little did Sokka know that his promise to Katara would be put to the ultimate test in just four short years…

Four years later…

Sokka sighed as he searched the house for his sister. She hadn't shown up for dinner and Gran Gran had asked Sokka to look for her.

"Katara! Katara, where are you? Tara! Tara!"

Sokka sighed as he went upstairs and searched the bedrooms. He was about to head back downstairs when he heard cries coming from the bathroom. He rushed for it and opened the door. The sight that met Sokka's eyes, broke his heart.

Katara was leaning against the toilet, trying to catch her breath. She was also holding her head with one hand.

"Katara," Sokka said, softly, not wanting to hurt her head further. He knew she had one of her migraines and he didn't want to make it worse. She had inherited them from their mother.

"Sokka, it hurts! Please, make it stop!" Katara sobbed out, tears coursing down her tan cheeks.

"I know, Tara, I know. I'm going to try and help you. How long has it been hurting?"

Katara tried to answer her brother's question, but was interrupted by a bout of nausea.

"It's okay," Sokka assured her, starting to rub her back gently. "Tara, it's going to be okay. I know it hurts. I'm right here. You're going to be okay. I'm going to take care of you."

Katara gulped back and faced the toilet as she vomited yet again.

Sokka held Katara's long braid back as she lost the contents of her stomach.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Tara. It's going to be okay. Here." Sokka produced the shot and stuck it in Katara's shoulder. She let out a whimper and buried her face in Sokka's shoulder. "Do you think you can make it back to my room?" He asked. He wasn't even going to try and get Katara back to her own room. It was too far from the bathroom.

Katara merely whimpered and clung to Sokka for comfort.

"Okay, let's try, all right?" Sokka said, hoping Katara would take his offer. He hated seeing his sister in pain and he wanted to help her in any way he could.

Katara nodded and immediately regretted it. She leaned over and promptly vomited again.

After Katara's stomach was calm for a few minutes, Sokka hoisted his sister onto his hip and carried her back to his bedroom. He got a bucket on the way and put it by the bed once they got there. He tucked Katara in and made sure she was comfortable before sitting next to her.

"Just try and sleep, okay? I'm right here."

Katara mumbled something and then her eyes flew open. She suddenly grabbed a hold of Sokka's hand and squeezed tightly.

"Sokka, don't leave me!" Katara suddenly begged, tearfully.

"I'm not going anywhere." He promised. "I promise."

"Promise me that you'll protect me tonight." Katara said, tears of fear coursing down her cheeks.

"Always," Sokka said. "But why tonight? Katara, what's wrong? Is someone hurting you?"

Katara nodded slowly and then burst into tears, effectively soaking Sokka as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Katara? Tara, whose been hurting you?" Sokka asked. His voice was gentle, but also full of urgency. He needed to know, so that he could protect his sister.

"Ko-Koesha!" Katara sobbed, clinging to Sokka for all it was worth.

"What!" Sokka exclaimed, his tone angry and surprised.

"Sokka, please!" Katara cried, her voice fearful. "He'll hear you!"

"Shh, all right, sis. It's okay, Katara, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here. You're safe. Your big brother's right here. I'll protect you. I'm not going to let that jerk hurt you again. Did you tell Gran Gran?"

"She didn't believe me!" Katara sobbed.

Sokka nodded and pushed his anger to the back of his mind. His first priority was Katara.

As Sokka was about to ask another question, he heard Katara swallow hard and knew what was going to happen.

"Tara, it's okay. Here." He placed the bucket in front of Katara and helped her to sit up as she got sick.

By the time Katara was done, she was in tears and had buried her face in Sokka's shoulder again.

"Sokka, I'm scared! I don't want him to hurt me again!"

"Shh, shh, I know, Katara, I know. It's okay. He's not going to hurt you again. Not if I can help it. Does your head still hurt?"

Katara merely whimpered, which gave Sokka the answer. He carefully started to stroke Katara's hair, hoping it would help her feel better.

After five minutes had passed, Sokka took a deep breath before asking his next question.

"Can you show me where he's hurt you?"

Katara was reluctant. She still hurt and she didn't want Sokka to be angry at her for not fighting back.

"Tara, please!" Sokka begged. "I want to help you, but I can't if you won't let me."

Katara finally allowed Sokka to see her injuries. As Sokka examined his sister's wounds, he cursed himself inside. How could he have missed this? He was Katara's big brother. He was supposed to protect her from stuff like this happening.

"All right, Katara, it's okay. I'm almost done," Sokka assured her as he cleaned the final cut and put a bandage on it. "There you go. You're okay."

"It hurts!" Katara cried, pain evident in her voice as well as her azure eyes.

"I know it does, Tara, I know. But I promise you, he'll never hurt you again. You're safe with me. Do you understand? I'll protect you from now on."

Katara nodded and laid her head against Sokka's shoulder, letting the remaining tears fall. She was in the safest place she knew and that was enough for her at the moment.

"I love you, Sokka," Katara said, as she fell asleep.

"I love you too, Katara. And I promise you, I'll always protect you." With that, Sokka stroked his sister's cheek until she was fast asleep.

As Sokka fell asleep, he hoped he would be able to keep that promise to Katara.

THE END


End file.
